CVE-2021-40238
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedA Cross Site Scriptiong (XSS) vulnerability exists in the admin panel in Webuzo < 2.9.0 via an HTTP request to a non-existent page, which is activated by administrators viewing the "Error Log" page. An attacker can leverage this to achieve Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution via the "Cron Jobs" functionality of Webuzo.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceAn XSS vulnerability exists in Webuzo < 2.9.0 admin panel where malicious input in HTTP requests to non-existent pages gets stored and executed when administrators view the 'Error Log' page. Attackers can exploit this XSS to achieve unauthenticated Remote Code Execution through the Cron Jobs functionality.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 2.9.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Webuzo installation and versionLocate the Webuzo installation on your system and determine the installed version. Check the admin panel login page or installation directories for the version number, typically visible in the panel footer or version information page.Affected if The installed Webuzo version is below 2.9.0
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Confirm admin panel is accessibleVerify that the Webuzo admin panel is reachable on your network. The panel is typically accessible on ports 2000, 2001, or similar ports used during Webuzo installation.Affected if The admin panel is exposed to network access without restricted access controls
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Check for unauthenticated access to admin panelAttempt to access the admin panel login page or verify if authentication is enforced. The vulnerability can lead to RCE through Cron Jobs once an attacker achieves admin access via the XSS.Affected if The admin panel does not enforce strong authentication or is accessible to untrusted users
You are affected if Webuzo version is below 2.9.0 and the admin panel is accessible to users, since the stored XSS in error logging executes when administrators view the Error Log page and can be chained to achieve RCE via Cron Jobs.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped2.9.0
Upgrade to Webuzo 2.9.0 or later which contains the fix for this vulnerability. As an interim measure, restrict admin panel access to trusted users only and sanitize error logging output.
Webuzo 2.9.0
- Backup your current Webuzo installation and all data
- Download Webuzo version 2.9.0 or later from the official Webuzo repository or website
- Stop the Webuzo service before upgrading
- Install the updated Webuzo package following the standard upgrade procedure
- Restart the Webuzo service after installation
- Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the Webuzo version in the admin panel
- Test that the Error Log page functions correctly and the XSS vulnerability is no longer present
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-40238 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-40238 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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